Eclipsed
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: They grew up together- childhood friends, seperated by continents, war, and time, yet somehow, they managed to find each other again. First in the Moon Eclipsed series, AU. Jo/Ziva friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**Eclipsed**

**R****if****iuto****: N****on**** Miriena**

**Summary: They grew up together- childhood friends, seperated by continents, war, and time, yet somehow, they managed to find each other again. First in the _Moon Eclipsed_ series, AU. Jo/Ziva friendship.**

She tossed her head; the gold chain she wore hung between her breasts, the gold Star of David rested against her skin. She stared at it in the mirror, memories of the girl who'd given it to her flashing before her mind. Her long black hair hung down around her shoulders in soft waves, and slowly, she began to run the brush through the black strands. Once it was soft and smooth, she pulled it back in her usual tight ponytail. The dark blue of her tank brought out the soft olive hue of her skin, and she quickly tugged the shirt down, hiding the gold childhood memento beneath the blue tank. Once she was ready, she slipped her gun into the holster at her hip, grabbed her black leather jacket and left the house. It felt strange not being in uniform, but then again, she wasn't in Oregon; she was in D.C., and was planning on having a good time before going back to the small Oregon town she called home.

It had taken thirty minutes for her to decide whether or not she should bring her gun with her; as deputy, she never went anywhere without a gun, and so found it strange to leave it in the hotel room. She decided to take it anyway, knowing that there would be no use for it. As she hurried out of the hotel, she pulled her sunglasses on and glanced around; where to head first, that was the big question. A moment passed, before she headed north, coming across a small bookshop.

As she wandered the silent shelves, her eyes lighted on a copy of French copy of _Jane Eyre_, and she picked it up. Instantly, hot, muggy summers spent in the cool of the Deputy Director's patio in Tel Aviv came rushing back to her; images of sharing a similiar French copy as they read passages of the book to each other and acted out the scenes, taking turns reading as Jane, Rochester and the various other familiar characters within Bronte's beloved classic. She flipped through the book, stopping on a passage she'd read so many times, that the ink had worn thin on the copy they shared.

_"I have for the first time found what I can truly love–I have found you. You are my sympathy–my better self–my good angel–I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my centre and spring of life, wrap my existence about you–and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one."_

She smiled, thinking of the man she'd left in Oregon. Sure, their relationship was only a year and a half old, but they'd managed to hold it together- even surrounded by the chaos of the town they lived in. She was fairly certain she'd found her soulmate, her better half, and would do any thing to keep the happiness she was in. Especially since they'd both dived back into the dating pool- and the first serious relationship either one had had in years.

Licking her lips, she flipped several chapters back, eyes lighting on a passage she knew by heart.

_"It is always the way of events of life,…no sooner have you got settled in a pleasant resting place, than a voice calls out to you to rise and move on, for the hour of repose is expired."_

That was certainly true for her. A military brat, she'd had very few friends, save for her three best friends- also military brats- and the one half a world away. She'd grown up in various parts of the world, ending in Jersey after her mother died when she was fourteen; after her family left Israel when her mother got sick, forced to leave everything she'd come to love about the Middle Eastern country. They'd kept in touch through the years, spending summers either in America or Israel, before their lives changed on September Eleventh. She then went over to fight, and the two lost contact, but she never forgot. Never removed the treasured necklace given to her for her birthday that long ago October day.

A moment passed, before she closed the book and tucked it into her basket; she continued to wander the shelves, adding a book of Marina Tsvetaeva's poetry in original Russian, Solzhenitsyn's_ Cancer Ward_, Virginia Woolf's_ Mrs. Dalloway_ and _A Room of One's Own_, Allende's _Portrait in Sepia_ and Marquez's _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ in Spanish, Achebe's _Things Fall Apart _in German, and a copy of _The Great Gatsby_ to the basket before making her way towards the checkout counter.

"Some one is a literature buff." She smiled at the woman, watching as she rang up each purchase. "German? French? Russian?" The woman raised her eyebrows, and she nodded, biting her lip.

"I was a military brat. Grew up reading various classics in various languages; the story's always the same, no matter the country or language." She shrugged.

"Well, enjoy." She gave the woman a small smile before taking her bag and leaving the store. Eventually, she settled at a table in a small cafe, a latte in front of her, _Jane Eyre_ open as she quickly read through the chapters. She fiddled with the chain of the necklace, her mother's chain, twinning her fingers within the gold as she read softly to herself, occasionally looking out the window. She had the eerie feeling she was being watched. When she slipped the book back into her bag and pulled her sunglasses on, she quickly checked to make sure she wasn't being watched, and left the cafe, hurrying back to her hotel. It had been years since she'd been in D.C., but still, she knew the routes and side streets, and slipped down an alleyway that would take her to her hotel.

She stopped when she got to the elevators that would take her to her hotel room; felt, rather than heard, someone behind her, and turned to find herself alone. As she stepped towards the ppe door, she grabbed her gun, pulling it from her holster and turning. "Freeze! Eureka police!"

"NCIS!" She stood staring into the barrel of a gun, even as her stalker stared into the barrel of hers. A moment passed in tense silence, before the woman on the other end of the second gun straightened, cocking her head to the side, a curious glint in her eye. The woman gaped for several seconds, blinking, before lowering her gun. "A... Jo?"

She didn't lower her gun; instead, she cocked the hammer, shifting her weight, never taking her eyes off the woman. "What do you want?" Military training kicking in, she took a step closer, biting her lip. She really didn't want to cause a bloodbath, but if she had to-

The other woman scoffed gently. "I cannot believe you do not remember me." She narrowed her eyes.

"Remember you? I've never seen you before in my life." The woman raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Because I have. I remember you. You were my best friend. You still are." The woman took a step closer to her, gun down by her side, safety back on. She still hadn't lowered her weapon. She'd learned, from her time in Eureka, that lowering the weapon often gave the criminals a chance to let loose their chaotic experiments. She wasn't going to fall for it again.

"I don't know you." She watched as the woman reached into her blouse, pulling out a gold chain. Dangling from the end, was a cross, and a Star of David, similiar to the one she wore.

"You gave me the cross for my birthday, remember? And I gave you the Star of David. That way, we would always be friends, no matter where we were, or how old we got. We would always be sisters." The woman took a step closer to her, and she saw the glint of the cross next to the star. A moment passed, before she slowly lowered the gun and moved closer. Slowly, she reached into her shirt, pulling out the necklace she wore. "_Achaiot lanetzach_. Forever sisters, remember?"

The Hebrew words had been engraved on both stars, a reminder of their connection. Slowly, she turned hers around, seeing the engraving on the back. Her eyes moved from the engraved words to the woman across from her, and after a moment, she returned the safety to her gun and took a step towards her. Swallowing, she whispered, "Ziva?" The woman's smile told her all she needed to know, and before she could blink, the other woman's arms were around her, hugging her tightly through her tears.

_"Achaiot, Shalom."_


	2. Chapter 2

**R****if****iuto****: N****on**** Miriena**

**Thanks to Guest for reviewing 1. **

"_Jane Eyre_- oh, I love this novel! Remember how we would-"

"Act out scenes from the book. Yeah, I remember."

After their standoff in the elevator lobby, the two had realized who the other was, and Jo had dragged her friend to the small coffee shop on the other end of the lobby where they'd gotten drinks and pastries before returning to Jo's room. Now, they sat the bed in her hotel room, chatting and laughing, catching up and sharing memories of their shared childhood in Israel. Jo let herself drink in the sight of her best friend sitting across from her. It had been so long since she'd seen Ziva David, that for that brief moment in the lobby, she hadn't recognized her.

A full-born Israeli, Ziva was Deputy Director Eli David's oldest daughter, fluent in five languages and various martial arts. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a loose braid, and she wore a pair of jeans and a white shirt. She looked older, but underneath it all, was still the same Ziva that Jo had known as a child. The gold Star of David hung around her neck with the cross Jo had given her for her birthday, all those years ago, and after a moment, she reached out, taking her hand.

Ziva gave her a small smile, squeezing her fingers. She couldn't believe she was sitting across from her best friend, whom she hadn't seen since they were fourteen. When she'd first gone in search of Jo, it had been on a hunch; she'd gone to see Jo's father, James, and after the initial shock and delight at seeing her again, he mentioned something about Jo possibly being in D.C., for a short vacation before returning to her job in Oregon. With that small tidbit, Ziva had returned to D.C., determined to find her at any means necessary.

Secretly, she'd put a BOLO out for her best friend, and had run various tips, finally coming up with the hotel where Jo was staying. She'd taken the week off from work, and it had been worth it. Her search ended, she now intended to spend as much time with her best friend as possible. Now, as the two women sat across from each other, she suddenly found herself unable to think of anything to say, and so let her eyes skim over her best friend.

Jo had grown up since that long ago summer day in Tel Aviv. Her long black hair was pulled back in a tight, smooth ponytail, and the clothing she wore hugged her curves tightly. She looked as though she hadn't aged a day; her dark eyes were still as bright and full of mischief as they'd ever been, and her smile was bright and engaging. The necklace hung between her breasts, the gold Star shining in the light. "So, tell me, what you have you been up to since you left Tel Aviv?" She took Jo's other hand, and gave her a big smile. The other woman squeezed her hand, before grabbing her coffee and taking a sip.

"No, you start." Jo replied, setting her coffee down. The Israeli thought a moment, before licking her lips.

"Well, you remember how Aba had suggested you join Mossad when you turned sixteen?" Jo nodded. "After you returned to the states, when I was sixteen... I did just that. I joined Mossad. Became a probation officer, a trained assassin." She met Jo's eyes, worrying how her friend react to her being a trained killer. A moment passed in silence, before Jo shrugged.

"I went to West Point not long after moving back to the states, after my mom died."

"The... American military academy, correct?" Ziva asked, grabbing a pastry and taking a bite, sending powdered sugar all over Jo's lap. The other woman laughed, before grabbing her own pastry.

"Yes. I graduated top of my class. When the towers fell, I went to fight in Iraq. I'm also a trained assassin. Believe me, I know all about becoming a trained killer. The only difference is that I was under the U.S. government's control. I wish I'd never joined the military." Ziva took a sip of her coffee, and Jo bit her lip, before continuing. "But... now I work as the deputy for Eur..." Ziva's head snapped up as Jo stopped, and she watched the woman.

"For where? I promise, I will not tell." Jo licked her lips, and nodding softly, she whispered,

"I work for this... small town in the Pacific Northwest of Oregon. It is... a town of scientists, but that's all I can say. You... need special clearance." She chuckled softly. "You know, I almost wish I'd never left Tel Aviv; never returned stateside. Then I wouldn't be working in that small, claustrophobic town. Maybe... maybe Mom would still be..." She shook her head, giving her a soft smile. "I'd still be in Tel Aviv, we could have been happy... but then... Mom got sick..." Ziva nodded as Jo took a bite of her pastry.

"I am sorry. I know how close you and your mother were." She gave the other woman a small smile, nodding, blinking the tears away fiercely. She hadn't cried over her mom's death in years; she wasn't about to now. "How close we both were to your mother."

Ziva remembered Cassandra Lupo, with her three rambunctious boys and her beloved little girl. She remembered how Cassandra had been a mother-figure to her, how she'd helped teach her English, how she'd read to the girls in French and Russian, German and Italian, how she'd taught them to cook and bake, and how she'd looked out for them. She'd taken not only Ziva under her wing, but her little sister Tali, as well. When the Lupo's returned to the states- because Cassandra's cancer had progressed, and the doctors had new remedies they wanted to try- Ziva had begged Cassandra to take her with them. She'd pleaded with her father; the Lupos had requested taking the girls back with them, suggesting foreign exchange, give them a chance to experience American school, but Ziva's father had put his foot down. They sat in silence for several minutes, before Jo asked, "So, where do you work exactly?"

"NCIS. I am a Mossad liasion; part of Gibbs' team." Jo's head snapped up.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" Ziva nodded.

"Yes. Why?" Jo bit her lip.

"He is my godfather." Ziva's eyes widened, and she gaped at Jo, who chuckled softly. "I haven't seen him in years." She reached out, squeezing Ziva's hand. "Please, tell him hello for me." The Israeli just nodded. "So, do you have to work tomorrow?" That snapped Ziva out of her shock at this new revelation about her friend.

"No. I took the week off. So I could find you." Jo raised an eyebrow.

"Find me? You went looking?" Ziva nodded.

"Yes. When I heard... I had to see you. You're my best friend, I had to know that you were all right."

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Ziva shrugged.

"I've been thinking of you lately-" Jo nodded, understanding. She reached out, taking the other woman's hand.

"How about, since you took the week off, we go shopping tomorrow and catch up?" Ziva grinned.

"Sounds great."


End file.
